This application describes plans to continue the SCORE program at City College which will significantly strengthen the research capability of 23 faculty members. In turn, we fully expect that this activity will generate a group of faculty members who will be strongly competitive in obtaining research grants. The goal of this SCORE proposal is to accelerate this transition by focusing on faculty members who are on the brink of obtaining R01 funding, supporting them through these difficult few years of a particularly tight funding climate, and mentoring junior faculty more intensively than we have done in the past. The objectives of the previous SCORE proposal had several readily assessable outcome measures. In this competitive renewal, we plan to increase our productivity by the indicated percentages: a. accelerated progress toward meeting research goals b. increase the number of research publications by 25-50% c. increase the number of presentations at national meetings by 15-50% d. increase external funding for research by 15-50% e. increased incorporation of research expertise into teaching/curriculum f. increased collaboration within CCNY and individuals from other research institutions It is also anticipated that the MBRS/SCORE Program will 1) strengthen the institutional research and research-training capability and 2) help expand the opportunities for underrepresented minorities in biomedical research.